UVSB  LIBRARY 


TH^NOE    T^LE 


Fi\OM  WuMBLE  Life, 
2  Ji  THE 


BIBLE   WOMAN 


»— jueecccg*** — " 


^Published  by  J'ermission  of  the  yiuxHOR. 


- — nnOQQQoonn 


PHILADELPHIA: 

HENRY     LONGSTRETH, 

1314  CHESTNUT  8TKEET. 


x^OTE  TO  THE  SECOND  SEEIEg, 


The  reader  may  rest  assured  these  narrative*  are 
Bubstantially  true,  as  man^  persons  now  living  in  th« 
neighborhood  can  testify.  The  names  mentioned  are 
real  names,  both  of  persons  and  places.  Some  of  them, 
as  in  the  former  case,  have  arisen  from  my  connectioD 
with  the  Chapel  for  the  Destitute. 

I  am  surprised  and  thankful  for  the  reception  given 
to  the  first  eleven  Tales,  now  constituting  the  First 
Volume — ^nearly  half  a  million  of  which  have  been 
sold  in  a  few  months — and  the  urgent  request  of  many 
friends  that  I  would  furnish  them  with  more,  inducefc 
me  again  to  dip  into  my  diary,  where  many  more  yet 
remain. 

I  am  a  tradesman,  and  make  no  pretensions  to  liter-* 
ary  ability.  If  He  whom  I  desire  to  serve  condescends 
to  use  me  as  a  medium  of  good  to  others,  my  earnest 
with  will  be  realized.  To  Him  my  prayer  has  been,. 
•*HoLD  Thou  my  bight  hand." 

J.  ASHWOBTH. 
BoduiaU,  1866. 


She  liWe  ^tamm. 


My  first  walk  over  the  new  bridge  or  viaduct 
(hat  spans  Farringdon  street,  London,  will  al- 
w'liys  remain  associated  with  a  scene  I  witnessed 
that  day.  That  energetic  lady,  the  authoress  of 
"The  Missing  Link,"  despatched  a  messenger  to 
my  temporary  residence  in  London  requesting 
me  to  meet  her  staff  of  Bible-women.  The  hour 
being  fixed,  she,  with  her  principal  assistants  and 
the  two  hundred  and  twenty  Scripture  readers, 
all  assembled  in  their  room  in  Parker  Street, 
Little  Queen  Street,  Holborn.  My  orders  were  to 
speak  to  them  one  hour  and  a  quarter,  then  allow 
myself  to  be  questioned  thirty  minutes  on  matters 
^xjaring  on  their  special  work.  Those  two  anxious 
hours  will  never  be  forgotten.  I  felt  my  respon- 
sibility as  I  looked  on  that  gathering  of  messen- 
gers of  love,  those  centres  of  circles,  and  ambas- 
sadors of  heaven,  who,  in  the  name  of  Jehovah, 
were  laying  moral  siege  to  the  world's  great  capi- 
tal, exercising  an  influence  that  would  reach  to 
every  continent,  bless  unborn  thousands,  and  vi- 
brate through  all  time. 

While  trying  to  accomplish  their  mighty  pur-^ 
pose,  they  were  sounding  no  trumpet,  but  simply 

6a 


54  THE   BIBLE    WOMAN", 

carrying  in  their  hands  a  book  that  contains  the 
the  purest  morality,  tlie  soundest  philosophy,  the 
safest  politics,  the  truest  history ;  that  teaches  the 
sublimest  poetry,  the  grandest  oratory,  the  pro- 
foundest  wisdom,  and  the  wisest  laws;  that  re- 
veals the  deepest  love,  the  widest  sympathy,  the 
greatest  benevolence,  and  the  holiest  lives ;  that 
tells  of  every  human  experience  from  the  highest 
felicity  to  the  deepest  misery  ;  that  leads  to  the 
Hand  that  soothes  every  possible  sorrow,  and 
gives  every  possible  joy  ;  that  secures  the  sweet- 
est peace,  the  greatest  happiness,  the  brightedt 
hopes  in  this  world,  and  points  the  way  to  ever- 
lasting bliss  in  the  world  to  come.  Of  this  Bov/k 
it  may  be  truly  said, — 

All  glittering  pearls  of  every  sea. 
All  gold  and  gems  that  earth  hath  given. 
Come  far  below  the  worth  of  Thee, 
Thou  priceless  blessed  gift  of  heaven. 

This  Book,  with  faith  in  its  divine  author^  a 
heart -felt  conviction  of  its  amazing  power,  is  the 
only  weapon  of  their  warfiire.  They  know  that 
it  is  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  "  and  sharper  than 
any  two-edged  sword,  piercing  even  to  the  di- 
viding asunder  of  soul  and  spirit,  a  discenier 
of  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart ;  "  and 
they  know  that  God  says,  "My  word  shall  not 
return  unto  me  void,  but  it  shall  accomplish  that 
which  I  please,"  It  tegxihes  them  to  do  good  to 


THE   BIBLF    V70MAN.  65 

all  irrespective  of  creed,  colour,  sect  or  party,  and 
not  to  be  weary  in  well-doing,  for  in  due  season 
they  shall  reap  if  they  faint  not. 

And  what  a  work !  and  what  a  field  !  Nothing 
but  humble  love  to  God,  boundless  zeal,  unbend- 
ing faith,  and  a  burning  desire  for  the  salvation 
of  souls  could  nerve  them  for  the  undertaking,  or 
give  them  any  hope  of  producing  much  effect  on 
the  mighty  masses  of  London.  But  these  workers 
have  all  read  of  Jonah's  visit  to  Nineveh,  and 
Gideon's  barley  cake. 

That  great  cities  are  great  centres  of  influence 
and  great  powers  for  good  or  evil  all  history 
amply  testifies;  for  much  of  history  consists 
in  recording  the  doings  of  these  great  cen- 
tres— New  York,  St.  Petersburg,  Paris,  Berlin, 
London.  These  are  all  names  of  great  import, 
and  all  in  turn  shake  the  world  ;  but  London,  the 
very  thought  of  what  it  now  is,  and  what  it  prob- 
ably will  be,  seems  to  stagger  the  mind.  It  has 
twelve  thousand  streets,  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty  miles  of  land  are  required  to  hold  its  three 
millions  of  a  population — a  population  consisting 
of  every  people,  nation,  and  tongue.  More  of 
Scotch  than  in  Edinburgh ;  more  of  Irish  than  in 
Dublin ;  three  times  as  many  Udmanists  as  in 
Rome  ;  and  more  Jews  than  in  all  theland  of  Ca- 
naan ;  besides  six  thousand  Italians,  thirty  thou- 
sand French,  sixty  thousand  Germans,  and  many 


66  THE  BIBLE  WOMAN. 

of  all  other  nations.  So  densely  are  they  packed 
together  that  one  hundred  and  forty  thousand 
live  on  every  square  mile.  These  require  for 
their  daily  movements  one  hundred  steamers,  fif- 
teen hundred  omnibusses,  and  five  thousand  cabs, 
besides  several  thousand  trains  overground  and 
underground.  It  has  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
Protestant  churches  and  chapels,  in  addition  to 
Sunday  and  day-schools  conducted  by  ministers, 
teachers,  and  missionaries,  all  trying  to  do  good. 
But  our  official  documents  tell  us  that  we  have 
twenty  thousand  beer  and  tobacco  houses  open 
every  Sabbath,  and  these  drinking  houses  are  the 
hot-beds  of  crime  -ind  misery.  We  have  sixteen 
thousand  children  ^rained  to  crime ;  five  thousand 
receivers  of  stolen  goods ;  thirty  thousand  drunk- 
ards; fifteen  thousand  gamblers;  twenty-five 
thousand  beggars ;  one  hundred  and  ten  thousand 
subsisting  on  profligacy ;  and  twenty  thousand 
thieves.  These  are  the  wicked  influences  at  work, 
spreading  every  pos8it)le  evil,  and  working  day 
and  night  to  counteract  all  good.  In  London  the 
power  of  light  and  darkness  contend  with  amaz- 
ing force.  Looking  at  this  mighty  city  from  a 
moral  or  spiritual  point,  and  calmly  reflecting  on 
the  present  and  future  of  these  congregated  mil- 
lions, it  would  be  difficult  to  behold  the  city  with- 
out weeping  over  it.  Horace  Mann,  the  official 
agent  for  the  census  of  1860,  tells  us  that  one 


THE   BIBLE   WOMAN.  67 

million  in  all  social  conditions  of  life— rich  as  well 
as  poor,  intellectual  and  ignorant — coul'l  not  be 
reckoned  in  any  kind  of  religious  census.  Could 
these  be  formed  into  a  separate  community,  there 
Would  not  be  amongst  them  one  church  or  chapel, 
one  minister  or  missionary,  one  hymn-book  or 
Bible.  Dram-shops,  theatres,  and  gaols  would 
crowd  every  street,  and  send  up  a  cry  to  heaven 
like  the  cry  of  Sodom. 

Every  form  of  sin  is  contagious  and  debasing, 
and  is  sure  to  produce  immediate  or  ultimate  mis- 
ery. Education,  mental  culture,  intellectual  at- 
tainments can  do  much,  and  have  done  much  : 
but  it  is  only  rendering  less  turbuleij^,  or  divert- 
ing the  course  of  an  impure  stream,  or  pruning 
the  branches  of  an  evil  tree  ;  the  root  and  the 
fountains  it  cannot  change.  There  is  but  one 
real  remedy.  We  know  that  this  remedy  was  to 
the  Jews  a  stumbling-block,  and  to  the  Greeks 
foolishness  ;  and  many  who  are  neither  Jews  nor 
Greeks  still  deride  and  despise  it.  Nevertheless 
salvation  by  faith  in  Christ  still  remains  the  wis- 
dom of  God  and  the  power  of  God,  and  the  only 
true  antidote  to  this  world's  ills. 

It  was  a  firm  conviction  of  this  truth  that 
nerved  all  the  apostles  for  their  work,  ^hat  still 
sustains  all  true  Christian  action,  and  which  sends 
out  this  band  of  valiant  Bible- women  to  cope  with 
every  form  of  sin ;  not  to  "  encompass  sea  and 


58  THE   BIBLE  WOMAN. 

land  to  make  one  proselyte,"  not  to  teach  the 
special  dogma  of  any  particular  church  :  with 
them,  "Thus  saith  the  Lord,"  is  everything.  The 
precious  words  of  the  blessed  Master  are  first  and 
foremost,  and  thus  they  become  the  true  auxili- 
aries of  all  Christian  Churches.  They  are  in  deed 
and  in  truth  in  every  respect  Messengers  of  Mercy. 

Let  us  go  with  Mary,  one  of  the  Bible- women, 
on  a  few  visits.  Mary,  in  her  person,  is  neat  and 
clean ;  she  carries  a  bag  containing  her  Bible,  a 
few  little  picture  cards,  and  hymns  for  little  folks. 
In  the  street  the  rough,  ragged,  gutter  children 
that  are  romping,  shouting,  and  playing,  salute 
her  as  she  pluses  through  their  midst ;  many  rows 
of  white  teeth  are  visible  behind  dangling  hair 
and  treacle  lips ;  many  a  soiled  limb  is  peering 
through  slits  and  gaps  in  frocks  and  trowsers ; 
yet  amongst  these  tatterdemalions,  judging  from 
their  smiles  and  courtesies,  she  is  evidently  a 
great  favorite.  Mary  has  one  special  object  in  a 
back  court.  On  knocking  at  the  door  of  a 
small  cottage,  she  waits  a  moment  for  a  response 
from  within ;  she  then  gently  opens  the  door,  and 
advancing  to  the  foot  of  the  stairs  again  knocks. 
A  feeble  voice  enquires, — 

"  Who  is  there,  please  ?  " 

"  It  is  I,  my  dear ;  shall  I  come  up  ?  "  Mary 
replied. 

"  Oh,  yes,  do ;  I  am  all  aloiie.    How  I  have 


THE   BIBLE   WOMAN.  6ft 

wishc'i  you  Avould  come,"  said  the  feeble  voice. 

Mary,  first  looking  at  her  shoes  to  see  that  they 
were  quite  clean,  and  then  shutting  the  street 
door,  ascended  the  steps,  and  instantly  two  lov- 
ing hands  were  locked  together. 

*'  Oh,  how  welcome  you  are !  What  could  I  do 
without  your  kind  visits  T  You  are  my  angel,  I 
am  sure  you  are.'* 

"  T  think  I  am  not  much  of  an  angel,  and  if 
you  lived  with  me  every  day  you  would  soon  find 
that  out.  What  about  your  father  to-day  ?  Is  he 
sober  yet  ? " 

"  Oh,  no.  I  do  hope  he  will  not  come  while 
you  are  here.  He  gets  more  irritable  and  violent 
every  day ;  his  swearing  pains  me  much." 

"  Does  he  know  of  your  Bible  yet  ?  " 

"  No  I  think  not ;  the  moment  I  hear  him  come 
I  push  it  under  the  flock  bed,  just  under  my  left 
shoulder ;  he  cannot  see  it  there  without  remov- 
ing the  bed.  Oh,  howprecious  to  me  are  its  words. 
While  reading  the  thirty-fourth  Psalm  this  morn- 
ing, my  soul  was  so  full  of  thankfulness  that  I 
wept  for  joy.  I  have  no  sad  lonely  hours  now ; 
God's  promises  make  me  very  happy,  and  Jesus 
is  more  and  more  precious  every  day." 
.  Just  at  this  moment  the  half  drunken  father 
dashes  open  the  house  door,  staggers  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  stairs,  and  roars  out, — 

"I  understand  there  is  some  one  up  these  stairs 


60  THE    BIBLE    WOMAN". 

besides  ray  daughter ;  come  down  this  minute, 
or  1  will  cleave  your  head  with  this  axe ;  you 
are  not  of  my  religion.  Do  you  hear?  Come 
down,  I  say,  and  make  haste." 

The  invalid  daughter  grows  pale  and  tremu- 
lous. Mary  lays  her  hand  on  her  forehead  and 
implores  a  blessing  on  her  sick  friend,  then 
steps  down  stairs  and  finds  the  mad  parent 
standing  at  the  bottom  with  eyes  glaring  like  a 
tiger,  and  the  axe  in  his  hand.  Mary  looked 
him  in  the  face  with  a  look  of  kindness  and 
firmness ;  neither  of  them  spoke  for  a  minute 
He  then  lays  down  the  axe,  sits  down  on  the 
step,  but  again  growls  out, — 

"You  are  none  of  my  religion.  Why  do  you 
come  here  ?" 

"  There  is  only  one  way  to  Heaven,  my  good 
man  ;  and  Christ  tells  us  He  is  the  way,  and  all 
that  are  in  the  way  to  Heaven  love  Christ,  and 
love  each  otker.  Your  poor  sick  Kate  loves 
Jesus,  and  so  do  J,  and  she  wishes  me  to  come 
and  tell  her  about  His  goodness  and  love  to  sin- 
ners, and  I  wish  you  would  let  me  come  and 
not  be  cross  with  us.     Pray,  do." 

The  man  was  not  utterly  without  feeling,  and 
the  words,  "Your  poor  sick  Kate,"  touched  a 
chord.  He  stroked  the  back  of  his  hand  over 
his  eyes,  and  stammered  out, — 

*'  I  know  of  the  Bible ;  I  know  of  the  Bible. 


THE    BIBLK    WOMAN.  61 

You  may  come  again  when  you  will,  and  read 
to  Kate." 

Those  words,  those  unexpected  words,  were 
heard  by  the  anxious,  trembling  Kate,  and  she 
called  out, — 

"  Oh,  father,  thank  you  for  that,  and  God 
bless  you,  father." 

Mary's  next  place  of  call  was  to  see  a  woman 
called  Ruth,  one  who  had  given  her  much  con- 
cern. On  entering  this  house — and  a  very 
dirty  house — a  pale  child  sat  in  a  low  chair, 
with  a  younger  one  rolling  on  the  floor  beside 
her.  There  was  no  fender  to  keep  back  the 
cinders,  no  other  seat  except  a  short  form.  On 
this  bench  Mary  sat  down,  and  was  just  begin- 
ning to  talk  with  the  children,  when  the  mother 
came  in,  looking  much  confused,  and  began  at 
once  to  say,  — 

"  You  have  called  to  see  us ;  and  I  suppose 
you  will  have  heard  that  I  am  down  again,  and 
it  is  quite  true,  and  I  do  not  know  what  must 
be  done.  I  did  think  I  had  got  stronger,  and 
that  I  should  never  taste  another  drop,  for  I 
cannot  taste  it  without  going  mad  for  more.  I 
was  boasting  how  much  better,  and  how  much 
more  happy  we  all  were  since  T  became  an  ab- 
stainer, on  the  morning  of  the  very  day  I  went 
wrong.  I  had  gone  out  to  buy  two  pennyworth 
of  black  currant  preserves,  to  make  a  taste  for 


02  THE   BIBLK   WOMAN. 

the  dear  sickly  child  beside  you,  for  I  feared  she 
was  dying.  The  dazzling  dram  shop  lay  in  my 
way,  the  longing  came  again,  and  I  could  not 
resist,  but  went  in  and  spent  the  twopence  in 
gin  ;  then  pawned  the  dress  I  bought  and  made 
at  the  Mothers'  Meeting,  and  spent  all  in  gin ; 
and  now  I  am  clean  gone.  There  seems  no 
hope  left  for  me,  for  I  did  wish  to  be  good,  and 
I  tried  hard  to  be  good;  but  I  cannot,  no,  I 
cannot;  you  had  better  give  me  up." 

"  Did  your  husband  keep  sober  while  you 
did  ?"  asked  Mary. 

*'  Yes,  and  he  read  the  Bible,  and  went  to  the 
evening  preaching.  He  longed  for  a  drop,  as  I 
did,  but  we  encouraged  each  other  to  be  hard 
and  stood  fast.  I  gave  in  ;  lie  went  worse  than 
me,  and  seemed  madder  than  ever.  You  had 
better  give  us  both  up." 

''  No,  Ruth ;  I  cannot  give  you  up.  It  is 
painful  to  have  all  my  bright  hopes  so  blighted ; 
but  I  cannot  give  you  up.  I  will  pray  for  you, 
and  bear  with  you.  I  see  where  you  have 
missed  it.  When  you  went  for  the  currants, 
and  saw  the  dazzling  dram  shop,  and  felt  the 
intense  longing  for  drink  return,  you  should 
have  instantly  said,  '  Lord,  help  me ;  Lord,  help 
me;  Lord,  help  me.'  You  wanted  strength  to 
resist  the  strong  temptation,  but  your  own 
strength  was   not  sufficient,  nor  ever  will  be. 


THE   BIBi.E  WOMAN.  f).'"*, 

You  know  the  words  I  have  often  read  to  you 
about  the  Bible  saints  trusting  in  God,  and  how 
one  said,  '  Go  I  is  our  refuge  and  strength;  a 
very  present  help  in  trouble  '  The  best  Chris- 
tian in  the  world  would  fall  if  he  had  not  the 
arm  of  God  to  lean  upon ;  and  then  we  become 
strong,  but  it  is  the  strength  of  God.  And  then 
God  tells  us  to  bear  the  infirmities  of  the  weak, 
and  not  to  please  ourselves,  for  even  Christ 
pleased  not  Himself,  but  sought  the  good  of 
others.  No,  Ruth,  I  cannot  give  you  up.  God 
can  save  you ;  and  I  hope  that  He  soon  will 
save  you,  and  that  you  will  yet  be  a  happy 
family." 

Mary  next  stands  amongst  the  children  of  one 
of  our  Ragged  Schools.  She  sees  one  little  fel- 
low very  poorly  clad,  his  eyes  red  with  weeping. 
Mary  puts  her  hand  on  his  head,  and  asks  the 
cause  of  his  sorrow.  Tears  gush  forth  afresh, 
and  he  replies, — 

"  Please,  my  mother  is  very  poorly ;  I  think 
she  is  dying." 

"  Dying,  child !  and  who  is  taking  care  of 
your  mother  ?" 

"Please,  no  one  but  my  little  brother,"  re- 
sponded the  child. 

"  Come,  show  me  where  you  live,  my  dear ; 
T  must  see  your  mother." 

The  boy  puts  on  his  greasy,  ragged  cap,  and 


64  THE  BIBLE  WOMAN. 

still  weeping,  leads  the  way  down  several  steps 
into  a  dark,  damp,  miserable  cellar ;  and  there, 
on  a  wretched,  filthy  bed  of  straw,  with  no  at- 
tendant but  the  child,  lay  the  suffering,  expir- 
ing mother.  All  possible  help  was  instantly 
obtained,  but  all  too  late;  the  spirit  of  the 
humble  sufferer  passed  away  to  other  climes, 
but  told  not  where.  Oh,  how  many  scenes  like 
this  have  been  witnessed  by  our  town  mission- 
aries and  our  Bible-women. 

Mary,  assisted  by  a  few  kindred  spirits, 
washed  the  wasted  dead  body,  burned  the  rotten 
bed,  and  accompanied  the  sobbing  and  now  or- 
phan boys  to  see  their  lost  parent  laid  in  a 
pauper's  grave.  But  the  work  was  not  yot 
done ;  the  heart  of  the  woman  and  the  Christian 
yearned  over  the  desolate  condition  of  the 
friendless  children.  She  cared  for  them  body 
and  soul,  and  in  the  spirit  of  her  Master  sought 
their  welfare  before  her  own.  She  feared  that 
if  they  were  left  to  drift  amongst  the  moral 
breakers,  or  get  entangled  in  the  whirlpools  of 
sin,  that  their  ruin  would  be  certain  and  speedy ; 
and  she,  with  many  prayers  that  God  would 
bless  the  deed,  took  them  to  her  own  home,  ob- 
tained for  them  employment,  and  now  they  are 
surrounded  with  circumstances  favorable  to  their 
becoming  respectable,  useful  members  of  so 
ciety,  and  very  probably  happy  young  Chris- 


THE   BIBLE  WOMAN.  65 

tians.  Indeed,  it  is  impossible  to  tell  the  bles- 
sings— temporal  and  spiritual — that  may  fall  to 
the  lot  of  these  two  orphan  boys,  from  the  un- 
selfish Christian  act  of  this  Bible-woman. 

But  we  will  go  to  just  one  more  place  with 
Mary  and  her  book.  This  time  it  is  down  five 
steps,  and  the  person  anxious  to  see  her  is  a 
man, — once  a  fine,  handsome,  strong- built  mas- 
ter of  a  notable  house ;  a  daring  gambler,  and 
a  well-known  betting  man.  But  he  is  now 
reaping  what  he  has  sown,  as  we  all  must ; 
health,  strength,  money,  character  all  gone,  and 
his  fine,  powerful  frame  reduced  to  almost  help- 
less weakness.  Mary  has  been  down  those 
steps  before,  and  the  now  penitent  gambler  and 
giant,  sitting  up  in  an  old  low  arm-chair,  makes 
her  very  welcome.  She  has  often  read  to  him 
out  of  the  holy  Book,  which,  in  his  pompous, 
blustering,  vigorous  health,  when  in  the  ring  or 
on  the  turf,  he  mocked  and  despised  ;  but  now 
it  is  precious,  very  precious,  and  he  says, — 

*'  I  am  truly  thankful  that  God  did  not  cut 
me  down  in  my  sin.  Death  in  all  forms  has 
made  havoc  amongst  my  companions;  many 
have  been  killed,  some  have  died  raving  mad 
from  drink,  and  those  still  left  are  very  wicked. 
It  now  seems  strange  to  me  that  people  should 
be  so  reckless  and  careless  respecting  the  most 
important  thing.     Oh  that  I  had  seen  things  in 


66  THE   BIBLE  WOMAN. 

my  young  days  as  I  see  them  now;  my  life 
would  have  been  spent  in  doing  good.  God  is 
indeed  merciful  to  me,  in  giving  me  time  to 
repent.  But  may  I  ask,  is  the  Bible  you  left 
me  lent  or  given?" 

"  Given,  sir,  and  given  with  great  pleasure,'* 
replied  Mary. 

"Thank  you  much.  Oh,  how  I  do  love  it; 
I  have  read  it  again  and  again,  almost  every 
day ;  every  word  is  precious ;  it  is  all  the  prop- 
erty I  now  have.  I  will  write  my  son's  name 
in  it,  and  leave  it  to  him  as  his  father's  last 
gift.  It  will  be  a  great  blessing  to  him  if  be 
makes  it  his  guide." 

We  now  take  leave  of  the  happy  invalid  in 
the  chamber;  the  poor,  repentant  Ruth,  who 
had  again,  like  thousands  of  women  in  and  out 
of  London,  stumbled  at  the  door  of  the  dazzling 
dram  shop ;  the  publican  saved  at  last ;  and  the 
two  orphan  boys;  and  sit  with  Mary  one  hour 
amongst  the  mothers  that  weekly  meet  in  her 
district,  to  talk  about  household  economy  and 
the  training  of  children ;  to  sew  and  sing,  and 
read  and  pray,  and  rejoicing  that  hope  dawns 
for  them  at  last ;  that  the  blackness  and  gloom 
so  long  darkening  their  homes  is  giving  way  to 
a  clearer  sky,  and  light  and  sunshine  coming 
down  from  heaven  to  illuminate  their  way;  for 
they  find,  as  all  who  humbly  read  will  find,  that 


THE   BIBLE  WOMAN".  67 

the  Book  of  God  is  a  light  to  our  feet  and  a 
lamp  to  our  path. 

If  what  we  have  now  described  of  a  few  days' 
work  of  one  of  the  two  hundred  and  twenty 
Bible- women  be  an  evidence  of  good  being 
done,  what  must  be  the  result  of  the  labor  of  jill 
these  unpretending,  silent  messengers  of  truth 
and  love  !  Oh,  the  omnipotence  of  love,  of  love 
emanating  from  Him  who  is  the  source  of.  all 
goodness,  all  benevolence,  all  sympathy,  all 
charity,  whose  love  brought  Him  down  to  save 
a  perishing  world.  Such  love  knows  no  defeat. 
"  It  suffereth  long  and  is  kind  ;  it  envieth  not . 
vaunteth  not  itself;  is  not  puffed  up ;  is  not 
easily  provoked ;  thinketh  no  evil ;  rejoiceth  in 
the  truth ;  beareth,  believeth,  hopeth,  and  en- 
dureth  all  things;  it  never  fails." 

What  a  mercy  for  London ;  what  a  mercy  to 
mankind,  that  we  have  our  earnest  ministers, 
missionaries,  Sunday- schoql  teachers,  and  our 
Bible-women.  It  is  this  mighty  leavening  in- 
fluence that  keeps  back  the  rolling  waves  of 
iniquity  ;  it  is  the  salt  of  the  earth  and  the  light 
of  the  world.  We  read  little  about  this  work 
in  the  "  Times,"  the  "  Telegraph,"  the  "  Daily 
News,"  or  the  "  Standard."  A  divorce  case,  an 
Old  Bailey  trial,  the  Derby,  or  a  boat  race, 
would  receive  more  attention  than  all  the  May 
meetings  of  Exeter  Hall,  or  all  the  missionary 


eg  THE   BIBLE  WOMAN. 

operations  in  the  kingdom.  Well,  the  kingdom 
of  God  Cometh  not  by  observation;  the  humble 
toilers,  the  real,  true,  effectual  workers  for 
Jesus ;  "^the  heart  and  soul  of  real  good  are  often 
working  in  obscurity;  in  garrets,  cellars,  and 
prisons;  amidst  crime,  filth,  fever,  and  pesti- 
lence ;  giving  in  many  cases  bread  to  the  fam- 
ished, starving  body,  and  in  all  cases  the  Word 
of  God,  which  is  bread  to  the  perishing  soul. 
They  hear  the  last  word,  witness  the  last  sigh, 
and  behold  the  last  look  of  many  who  pass  away 
in  silence  and  obscurity,  having  no  other  earthly 
friend.  There  are  thousands  of  such,  who  to 
hear  the  cry,  "  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?" 
or  to  see  a  tear  of  penitence  in  the  eye  of  the 
returning  prodigal,  would  receive  more  real  joy 
than  all  the  flattery  and  praise  the  world 
could  give ;  and  amongst  these  humble  follow- 
ers of  Christ  will  be  found  the  loving,  plodding, 
patient  Bible  Woman. 


UC  SOUTHERN  :: 


.'''^''Mllllllll    II    !ii,Ji  ;■;'  :'|  '|:.'   rji'i'li 

A     000  605  227 


UDSe  LIBRARY 


STMGE  TALES  FROM  HDMBLE  LIFK 

BY  JOHN  ASHWORTH. 


Fine  Edition,  Four  Series,  cloth,  limp.  The  First  and  Second, 
bound  in  one  volume,  cloth,  boards,  or  extra  cloth,  gilt 
edges, 'with  steel  portrait  of  the  Author;  alss  Third  and 
Fourth  in  one  volume,  gilt  edges. 

These  remarkable  Tales  are  still  kept  as  Tracts,  of  which 
nearly  Three  Millions  have  already  been  sold. 

FIRST  SEBIES. 


1.  Mary;  a  Tale  of  Sorrow. 
*.  The  Dark  Hour.  [Men. 

a.  A  Wonder;  or.   The  Two  Old 
4.  Sanderson  and  Little  Aline. 
6.  Wilkins.  [and  II. 

e  A  7.  The  Dark  Night      Farts  I. 


8.  Joseph ;  or.  The  Silent  Oomer, 

9.  My  Mother. 

10.  Niflfand  his  Dogs, 

11.  My  New  Friends. 

12.  My  New  Friends. 

13.  My  New  Friends. 


Parti. 
Part  II. 
Part  III. 


SECOND  SEBIES. 


14.  Mothers.  [Prayer. 

15.  Twenty  Pounds ;  or,  The  Little 

16.  All  is  Well. 

17.  My  Uncle;  or,  Johnny's  Bo?c. 

18.  Old  Adam. 

19.  EUen  Williams. 


20.  Trials. 

21.  Answered  at  Last. 

22.  Priseilla.  [Step. 

23.  Julia ;  or.    The   First   Wrong 

24.  No  Cotton. 

26.  My  Young  Ragged  Friends. 


THIBD  SEBIES. 


26.  The  Lost  Omrl. 

27.  Emmott. 
2».  The  Widow. 

29.  Sarah ;  or,  "  I  Will  have  Him ! ' 

30.  My  Sick  Friends.    Part  I. 
81.  My  Sick  Friends.    Part  II. 


32.  George. 

33.  James  Burrows. 

34.  John  and  Mary. 

35.  A  Sad  Story. 

36.  Lucy's  Legacy. 

37.  Edmund. 


38.  The  Golden  Wedding. 

39.  William  the  Tutor. 
4a  Fathers. 

4]..  Little  Susan. 

42.  Old  Matthew. 

43.  Old  Ab«. 


POUBTH  SEBIES. 


44.  Milly. 

45.  The  Fog  Ben. 

46.  Mrs.  Bowden. 

47.  Happy  Ned. 
4«.  Harry. 

49.  A  Dancer. 


WALKS    IN   CANAAN. 

By  same  Author.    304  pages,  with  7  full-page  illustrations, 
extra  cloth,  gilt  edges. 


Cloth,  or 


»%"  Mr.  Ashworth's  Tales  and  Books  are  above  my  praise ;  they  are 
circulated  I  believe,  not  by  thousandu,  but  by  millions,  and  the  result 
is,  that  the  name  of  John  Ashworth  is  a  Household  Word,  not  only  in 
the  lordly  halls,  but  in  the  lowly  homes  of  England." — Dr.  Guthrie. 


